Current and Former District Council Members Misusing Training Expenses... Fined in First Trial

Three current and former district council members who were accused of embezzling old budget funds by submitting receipts for canceled payments to the secretariat were sentenced to fines in the first trial.

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According to the legal community on the 24th, Judge Kang Seong-su of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Western District Court sentenced three current and former Seodaemun-gu council members, who were tried on charges of fraud, to fines of 3 million won each on the 19th. Among them, two current council members belong to the Democratic Party, and one former council member is known to be affiliated with the People Power Party.

The court stated, "Mr. A claimed that he did not engage in deceptive acts, but he submitted receipts for canceled payments as supporting documents to the staff, making it appear as if he used the accommodation and airline tickets in question. The staff was deceived and transferred the corresponding money, so it is clear that the defendant's actions constitute fraud by deception."

They are accused of embezzling funds supported by the district office by claiming to have attended training conducted by the Korea Lifesaving Association in August 2021.

They booked hotels and airline tickets and printed receipts, then immediately canceled the payments. Afterwards, they submitted the receipts to the district council secretariat and received about 1 million won each via bank transfer. It is known that they actually used cheaper accommodations and traveled by ship instead of airplane, pocketing the remaining money.

They appealed the summary order from the previous court and requested a formal trial. Mr. B and Mr. C filed appeals against the first trial verdict the day before.

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